Yanagizawa Takekiyo

Yanagizawa Takekiyo (1853-1929) was a Japanese settler on Wake Island during the 1880s. Born in Kyushu, he became a fisherman like his family, and he took part in a voyage to the Pacific islands to establish a fishing settlement. He became the leader of the first Japanese colonists on the island, and he negotiated the creation of the Otorishima colony. Later, a governor, Kobayakawa Takehira, arrived to help settle the colony. After the United States created the Wake Territory in 1889, he decided to join the Populist Party due to its support for small farmers.